What all three of these people also do, is act small. They are great at their craft and built a solid foundation. None of them focus on what is realistic. There was a desire to push the boundaries and create things that were bigger than what had been previously done.

Building a foundation is important and here are some examples of how these three think big and act small:

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is unique, in that you can take things he has done and said, and apply them to so much. Most of all, Steve Jabs was a dreamer. He dreamt big and was not afraid to push the boundaries. Creating a computer, which has impacted the lives of so many, was not only something he wanted but strove to accomplish. There was never a sense of being realistic.

Steve Jobs also acted small. There was an inherent understanding that he needed to have a foundation to build on. He states in the Stanford commencement speech that there was a Calligraphy course he took at Reed College, which provided the necessary knowledge to create Fonts in the Apple Word Processor. This is a small act, which had a revolutionary impact on the events that followed.

Mark Cuban

As you read about Mark Cuban, his goal was to be rich. Mark Cuban wanted to hit it big, and he accomplished it. There was no small dreaming or being realistic. But looking back at how he got there, he followed the principles of thinking big and acting small.

Mark Cuban acted small when he first started in business by selling door to door. A skill that was the foundation for building his business. Also, through college he owned a small bar, which catered to the College crowd. Both of these provided the necessary skills to promote products, as well as run a business. So if the goal was to become rich, he ensured that he learned the core skills necessary to get him there.

Jack White

Jack White had big ideas for having a two piece band, which nobody was doing at the time. He even states that he had no idea whether it would work, but went for it anyways. His big thinking came to fruition in the form of The White Stripes.

In the case of the Jack White, acting small was having a strong foundation in the blues. Understanding where the style came from, how to play it, and as a result, having the ability to build upon it and make it his own. This provided the foundation for his big thinking.

As we reflect on the big thoughts and small acts of these three individuals; we have to ask, how are we thinking big and acting small?